We were thoroughly impressed by all the entries we received, and wish we could pick all of them! The Family Tree Firsts blogger we selected is Nancy Shively of Skiatook, Okla. A genealogist of six months—since she discovered her mom had a brother who died in infancy—she’ll be researching mostly in Oklahoma, Missouri, Tennesse, Indiana and Canada.

Nancy reports she's excited to get started blogging, and adds “I am interested in my female ancestors but also in the military experiences of the men in my family tree. I love walking through old cemeteries. I want to know how my family fit in with larger events and trends in history.”